Nothing to hide when deciding to award the egg import contract to the company: Mohamad Sabu

PETALING JAYA: The government has reiterated that there is nothing to hide regarding its decision to award a contract to a local company to import eggs from India.

Agriculture and Food Security Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu (Picture) said the local company, known as J&E Advance Tech Sdn Bhd, is the only company in the country to have received the award for importing eggs from India, NST reported

“You can check who the chairman is. That’s ‘abang mat’ lah, I’m not hiding anything, (actually) I’m going to reveal everything,” he said today during his closing speech on the 2023 Utility Bill.

He also said the company’s contract was not awarded through an open tender because the egg supply shortage has long been an issue requiring immediate attention from the government.

“Five to six years ago we (used to) export eggs. However, the Covid-19 situation affected the process and the government issued approved permits for the short-term import of food from abroad.

“However, we are stepping up our efforts and running several engagements with egg suppliers to replenish (egg) supplies in the shortest possible time, especially during Eid.

“If everything goes smoothly, we hope that there will be no more major disasters in the country (so that) things can return to normal,” he added.

Mohamad Sabu mentioned last month that eggs are being imported from India by the government until local supplies are stabilized.

The measure was implemented because local egg producers could not meet demand, leading to an egg shortage in the market.